Sermon for The Seventh Sunday after Trinity, 2024

Earthly bread sustains and nourishes a little; the bread of the Blessed Sacrament, however, sustains and nourishes you unto eternal life, for it is the very Body of Christ. It gives you strength so that you do not faint along the way, not so much for your way back to your earthly home, but more so that you do not faint along the Way of your Christian life. For Christianity is not just a set of beliefs; it is the Way, as the early Christians called it: it is the path, forged by Christ, for you to follow, for He says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and furthermore, “Take up your cross and follow Me.” And so the Body and Blood of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament are your provision and sustenance along this Way. And you need it; your faith needs it, for you live in a wilderness of your own, far more dangerous to your faith than hunger or weariness, bombarded on every side by your flesh, the world, and the devil. And that is why Christ Jesus instituted this Sacrament, why He gives you His Body and Blood and bids you to partake, for by this Sacrament, He forgives your sins, comforts your conscience, gives peace to your troubled soul, sets you upon the right path with a renewed spirit, and strengthens the faith He engendered in you at your baptism: faith which fears, loves, and trusts in God above all things. 

Readings:

• Old Testament: Genesis 2:7-17

• Epistle: Romans 6:19-23

• Holy Gospel: Mark 8:1-9

Sermon: